Shelling machine



July 19, 1932. A, RANK|NE 1,867,986

SHELLING MACHINE Filed Sept. 20, 1929 .2 Sheets-Sheet 1- INVENTOR ANDREwRANKmE 65 3 ATTORNEYS BYWM /m vention,

Patented July 19, 1932 UNITED STATE s PATENT OFFICE,"

ANDREW RANKINE, or LACHINE, QUEBEC, CANADA, ASSIGNOR 'ro GANA'DAFIVIA'LTITEG COMPANY, LIMITED, or MONTREAL, CANADA i sHELLr MAcHI-Nn Application filed September 20, 1929. ser ai No. 394.051.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in shelling machines and the object of the invention is to provide a simple and easily adjusted machine which will (i remove the husks from rice or the like without injuring the germ. 7

According to my invention, I take the rice in the paddyor husk and feed into ahopper which is positioned above a belt. This belt .1;- is grooved transversely and carries the rice towards and against a flexibly supported abrading surface which removes the husk and allows the grains of rice to be free there from. The belt is mounted so that its posi- 5 tion and tension may be adjusted and the abrading surface may be moved towards or away from the belt. The flexible mounting of the abrading surface permits said surface to yield in case of an overfeed so as to pre- 29 vent injury to the germ of the grain. Suitable driving mechanism is crating the belt. 7 I

In the drawings which illustrate my inprovided for op- Figure .7 is a fragmentary sideelevation of a modified type of shelling machine.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 11 designates a frame supporting a hop per 12 equipped with a restricted outlet 13 positioned in proximity to an endless belt 14. The forward end of the belt is trained around and supported by a pair of pulleys 15 and 16 mounted in swinging frame 17. The opposite end of the belt is trained around and supported by a single pulley 18 mounted in a tion 26 may be varied to swinging frame 19. The frame 1 9'com prises a pair of vertically inclined arms 20 having their lower ends pivotedto the frame members 21 as indicatedat 22. The upperends of said arms carry between them the shaft 22a on which the pulley 18is mounted. Pivotally secured to each of-said armsis one end of an adjusting bolt 23, the other end of which is passed through a transverse frame member 24 andequipped with a t ing nut-'25. It will be manifest that, through the agency of bolts 23 and nuts 25, the position of the frame 19, and pulley 18, may beadjusted to regulate the tension of belt 14. I

The pulleys 15 and 16 are staggered'as shown in Fig. 1, so that the portion of the belt passing downwardly fromthe pulley 15 to the pulley 16 provides a sloping surface 26 onto which is deposited the rice or'grain discharged through the hopper outlet 13. 70 The particular angle or slope of the belt-poradvanceor retard the-feed of grain deposited thereon. To this end the sidemembers 27 of the frame 17 are equipped with trunnions 28 journalled in. the frame members 29 and equipped with clamping nuts 30 by means of which the frame 17 is held inany of the various angular positions to which it is adjusted.

The pulleys 15'and 16 are mounted on shafts 31 and are equipped with relatively large side flanges 32 serving to prevent lateral displacement of the grain delivered to the. sloping belt portion 26. The pulley shafts 31, are equipped at oneend with chain 85 sprockets '33 meshingwith a drive chain 34. Chain 34 is also trained around a sprocket35 flxed to a shaft 36 ljourna-lled ina suitable swingingframe presenting side members- 37 having their upper terminals pivoted tothe top members of the frame 11, as indicated at 3 8. Shaft36 also carries a pulley 39, which is connected by abelt 40-to the pulley 41 of an; angle bar 45 ;and',are equipped with wing nuts 46. These bolts 43 and nuts 46 enable ill") ing for said plate. abrading element 47 is secured to the horizonthe position of the arms 37 to be adjusted to maintain proper tensioning of the cham 34.

An abrading element 47 is positioned 0-pposite the sloping belt portion 26 and in parallel relation thereto. The'abrading element preferably comprises a suitablebacking having the surface opposing the belt portion 26 covered with a suitable abrading material 48, as shown to advantage in Fig. 4. The upper end of element 47 is supported from the shaft 36 through the medium of a spring steel plate 49. One end of plate 49 is hinged to the element 47 as indicated at 50. The other end of plate 49 is provided with a slot '51 through which protrudes a threaded stud 52 carried by a sleeve 53 on the shaft 36. The stud 52 is equipped with a clamping nut 54 by means of which the plate 49 is secured in difierent positions of adjustment. The sleeve v53 may be provided with guide flanges 55 lying at opposite sides of the plate 49 and the portion of the sleeve carrying the stud 52 may tened as at 56 to provide a suitable slide bear- The lower portion of the tal flange 57 of the angle bar 45 through the medium of flexible steel plates 58 and 59.

: in different positions of adjustment.

The plate 58 is hinged at one end to the member 47 and is provided at the other end with a threaded stud 60 operating in a slot (51 formed in the overlapping end of the plate 59. A clamping nut 62 carried by the stud GO enables the said plates to be secured togetjlci elr i e outer end of plate 59 is bolted as at 63 to the aforesaid flange 57 I It will be evident that, through the agency 7 of the particular supporting means hereln described, the abrading element 47.niay be adjusted towards or away from the sloping belt portion 26, so asto give any desired clearance. The aforesaid supporting means also enable the angular position of the abrading element to be varied to suit variations in the slope or inclination of the opposing belt por tion 26.

In operation, rice in the paddy is supplied to the hopper and flows through the dis charge orifice 13 onto the belt 14 preferably at a point above the pulley l5 and in close proximity to the upper end of the abrading element 47. fhe belt travels in the direction indicated by the arrow 64 and the'abrading surface is adjusted so that the clearance between said surface and'the opposing portion of the belt is sufficient to take care of the largest grains of rice being hulled. The belt carries the rice towards the abrading surface and the paddy or hull is removed from the larger grains. If any of the smaller grains ofrice should not responditothis treatment, they are again placed in the hopper and the abrading surface shifted sufficiently closer to the belt to take careof such smaller-grains. It has been found that the best results are be flatobtained by using a conveyor belt, the surface of which is provided with transversely extending grooves 65 having the walls thereof curved as clearly shown in Fig. 3. This particular type of. belt allows the rice in the paddy to be pocketed in such a way that the husks are brought into engagement with the abrading material and removed without injuring the rice and the germ thereof. in case of an overfeed resulting in excessive accumulation of grain between the abrading surface and the opposing portion of the conveyor belt, injury to the grain and germ is prevented by reason of the fact that the abrading surface is capable of yielding due to the flexibility of its supporting plates.

In Fig. 7 have tion in which the abrading element is in the form of a pulley 66 having its. surface covered with asuitable abrading material. This pulley is mounted in a swingingframe 67 and is adjustable towards or away from the belt 14a through the angency of adjusting bolts 68 connecting the lower end of the swinging frameto. the members 110; of the main supporting frame 11?). V l

The drawings are only illustrative of two types of machines which may be used and it will be readily understood that various modifications may be made thereto without departing from the'spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: I v

1. A shelling machine comprising a supporting structure, a frame carried by the supporting structure and mounted for swinging adjustment about a horizontal axis, pulleys,

mounted in the upper and lower portions off said frame above and below-said ax s, means:

for securing said frame in variouspositions of vertical inclination with the upper and lower pulleys disposed in relatively jstaggered relation, an adjustably mounted return pulley, a substantially horizontal endless carrier trained over said pulleys, the portion of the carrier passing from the upper to the lower of the first mentioned pulleys being inclined by the staggered arrangement of said pulleys to present a sloping surface the angle of which is dependent upon theadjustment of the swinging frame carrying said pulleys, an abrading surface adjustably supported in parallel relation with the sloping surface of said carrier, means for adjustin the abrading surface in the direction of said sloping surface to vary the intervening clearance and means for varying the angular adjustment of said abrading surface to correspond withvariations in theangular adjustment of the sloping surface of the carrier.

2. A shelling. machine comprising a supporting structure, a frame carried by said structure andmounted for swinging adjustment about a horizontal axis, in order to pernnt sald frame to be disposed in various poshown a slight modificetsitions of vertical inclination, means for securing said frame in adjusted position, a pair of pulleys mounted in the frame above and below the axis about which the frame is movable, a return pulley, an endless carrier trained over said pulleys so that a sloping surface is formed at one end of the carrier by reason of the staggered arrangement of the first mentioned pulleys due to vertical inclination of the frame carrying said pulleys an abrading member arranged with its abrading surface parallel with the sloping surface of said carrier, a supporting arm having one end pivoted to a portion of said supporting structure and the other end hingedly connected to an upper portion of said abrading member and a lengthwise adjustable connection between the supporting structure and a lower portion of the abrading member, said lengthwise adjustable connection being operable to adjust the working position of the abrading member.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

ANDREW RANKINE. 

